1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to sterilization agents, methods and devices applicable to sterilization of used hypodermic needles, disposable surgical instruments, other blood and body fluids drawing and handling devices, disposable labware such as pipettes, etc. as well as many other disposable items that come into contact with body fluids and micro-organisms.
2. Prior Art
Many kinds of disposable devices such as hypodermic needles, surgical instruments, other blood and body fluids drawing and handling devices, labware such as pipettes, test tubes, etc. are being used increasingly in clinical and research medicine in order to diminish the possiblity of accidental infection. Sterilization of such devices after use is also important for their safe disposal.
According to the regulations of many jurisdictions, such devices must be sterilized by heat, filtering, irradiation, or by chemical agents prior to disposal. For sterilization of plastic materials, irradiation with .gamma. rays is recommended. For sterilizing devices made of metal or glass, high temperature steam in an autoclave is recommended. For sterilizing unwoven cloth, sterilizing gas such as ethylene oxide is recommended.
However, such methods are often cumbersome, requiring large, expensive sterilization devices. Moreover, these conventional methods require a considerable amount of manual labor, including handling of the items to be sterilized which entails infection risks to the workers involved.